The George S. and Stella M. Knight Essay Contest is open to high school students in their freshman, sophomore, junior or senior year of study in public, parochial, private and home study schools.
The essay must be about a person, event, philosophy, or idea connected to the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence or the framing of the United States Constitution. The essay must be written in English.
The contest is conducted in three phases: local (Chapter), state (Georgia Society) and national (National Society).
The National Society, SAR, establishes the general contest rules and other details. Therefore, all Georgia Society chapter chairmen and interested students should visit the SAR national website for the full contest rules and guidelines.
Student Entry:
The contest begins at the chapter level. Students must enter the contest through the nearest SAR chapter. If the nearest chapter is not known, refer to the chapter map on this site or contact the Georgia Society Knight Essay Chairman Compatriot Stacey McCarver by clicking here, phone: 404-831-2801. The student deadline for entry into the essay contest is December 1. The winner of a chapter contest is automatically entered into the state level of competition. Email entry is required; mailed entries will not be accepted.
Chapter Entry:
The second level of competition is at the state, or Georgia Society level. Essays from chapters are submitted to the Georgia Society Knight Essay Chairman by email for entry into this competition. Entries must be received from chapters no later than December 15. The selected judges submit their results to the chairman by December 31. From the results of the judges the Georgia Society Knight Essay Chairman declares the winning essay.
The final level of competition is at the National Society. The Georgia Society winning essay is submitted by the state chairmen to the national chairman no later than February 15. The national winners will be announced in April of each year, and the national society award will be presented to the winner at the Annual Congress in July.
Awards:
Chapters may offer awards at their discretion.
The Georgia Society awards a $550.00 cash award to the first-place winner and $450.00 to the second-place winner.
National Society awards may be viewed on the national website. Currently, First Place is awarded $6,000, Second Place $3,000; Third Place, $2,000; Fourth Place, $500.00; and Fifth Place, $500.
For additional information regarding the Knight Essay Contest contact the current Georgia Society Knight Essay Chairman Stacey McCarver by clicking here.